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Enlightenment Philosophers
John Locke
The ideas of English philosopher John Locke were so radical that he could not publish his Treatises on Government until
1690, ten years after its completion. Locke believed that all people are born with natural rights, including life, liberty,
and property. People establish governments to protect these rights. If the government fails in this duty, the people
have a right to change the government. This idea challenged the divine right of kings, and was used to justify the
Glorious Revolution. Locke's ideas of natural rights, government by and for the people, and religious toleration greatly
influenced the Framers of the U.S. Constitution.
Baron de Montesquieu
In his work The Spirit of the Laws (1748), French philosopher Baron de Montesquieu examined corruption can creep
into any government. "... constant experience shows us that every man invested with power is apt to abuse it ... it is
necessary from the very nature of things that power should be a check to power." Montesquieu concluded that
abuse of power can be prevented by separating legislative, executive, and judicial powers among different bodies.
Each body would restrain different forms of government. He observed that the power of the others, and all would be
bound by the rule of law.
Voltaire
Francois-Marie Arouet, known as Voltaire, was one of the most vocal of the French Enlightenment thinkers. He
wrote scathing attacks on religious bigotry and fanaticism, for which he was jailed and eventually exiled. In place of
traditional religion, Voltaire promoted deism—a religious philosophy that acknowledged God but rejected specific
teachings of any church. Deists argued for religious freedom and toleration. As Voltaire wrote in "A Treatise on
Toleration" (1763), "we ought to look upon all men as our brothers." Deist views migrated to America and were
adopted by leaders such as Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington.
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Jean-Jacques Rousseau
"Man is born free, but everywhere is in chains." Thus began Rousseau's The Social Contract (1762).
Rousseau believed that a social contract exists between a government and the governed. The people agree to
obey the laws and submit to the general will of society. In exchange, government agrees to protect the rights
and equality of all people. Current governments, he argued, broke this contract by protecting only the
wealthy and powerful, enslaving the common people. In such cases, the people should change the
government. This idea of social contract underlies the Bill of Rights and the concept of consent of the
governed.
William Blackstone
William Blackstone was no fan of American independence. Yet his Commentaries on the Laws of England would
greatly influence America's founding documents, including the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. In his
Commentaries, he distilled the vast bulk on English common law into four clearly written, understandable volumes.
Once Americans had won their rights on the battlefield, they turned to the Commentaries for a summary of those
rights. Readers included Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, John Jay, and James Wilson. Despite their disdain for
Blackstone's politics, the Framers often referred to his work as they laid the nation's legal foundation.
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